Improving Deadlift

GW4321

Does anyone have recommendations on how to improve back strength specific for deadlifts? I believe that I'm capable of lifting more weight than my back will currently allow. This issue isn't due to injury, but it feels like there is weakness in my lower back. As a result, I’m reluctant to lift heavy.

Should I just focus on deadlifting with lighter weights and more reps until this improves? What other exercises are good for improving deadlifts? I lift at home, so equipment is limited.

KickboxFanatic

Every lift is only as strong as the weakest muscle involved in the lift. Are you following a program? Are you pulling sumo or conventional? What kind of rep scheme are you following? At what point in the deadlift do you fail the lift (from the floor, at the knees or at lockout)?

Chieflrg

If you want improve back strength for deadlift, you should deadlift more and have patience. It's pretty simple.

Do a set of five where you hold good form as heavy as possible.

Following week add a small amount of weight and hold form. Continue.

stanmann571

Chieflrg wrote: »

If you want improve back strength for deadlift, you should deadlift more and have patience. It's pretty simple.

And don't rush. The only thing worse than a weak back is a weak spasming back.

quiksylver296

GW4321 wrote: »

I believe that I'm capable of lifting more weight than my back will currently allow.

:huh:

sgt1372

If you're doing it properly, the lower back actually isn't all that involved in doing a deadlift. Much less so than in a squat because of the different bar position and geometry involved.

Not saying the lower back isn't involved at all but it should only be involved when you've already lifted the bar up to mid-thigh w/your hips/legs/butt, straightened your legs and just need to finish the move by straightening your back at the top.

And even then, your lower back (primarily your spinal erectors) is assisted by your abs & other core muscles to straighten up. Indeed, it is mainly your core that provides the stability necessary to maintain the upper body position at the start, as well as to finish the lift.

So, if you can't finish the lift properly, I'd be more focused on strengthening your core than your lower back but, as has already been mentioned, the best way to increase your ability to do deadlifts is just to do morecof them starting at a lower weight that you can handle safely and w/confidence and then gradually work your way up in weight.

Good luck!

GW4321

Thanks for the responses. I’ll address some of the questions with this post.

I typically deadlift two days per week. One day is a heavier day (sets of 5) and the other day is usually higher reps (3x 8-10). I lift conventional, but I’m still trying different positions to find something that is comfortable for me.

I went about 15 years without lifting, but I started lifting heavy again in November 2017. I’m quickly regaining my former strength levels. For example, I benched 325 when I was 17, and I’m now back up to 260lbs after a few months. I don’t go very heavy with squats due to a bad knee injury several years ago, but I’ve been making steady gains with squats as well.

My back feels stable during squats. The deadlift seems to be my main struggle. I feel anything over 200lbs in my lower back. I haven’t failed any lifts, but I’m very reluctant to lift heavy due to the feeling of weakness in my lower back. A lack of “stability” is a good way to describe the problem. I’m relatively new to deadlifts, so maybe this is normal and I’m over thinking it?

GW4321

I wanted to give a quick update.

I’ve spent the past 2+ weeks doing deadlifts more frequently using lower weights and higher reps. I’m just focusing on getting more comfortable with the lift without putting too much stress on my back. I added some accessory and core work too.

I changed the width of my stance and grip, and that puts my back in a better position as well. All of this seems to be working. As previously mentioned, I felt weakness in my back during deadlifts above 200lbs. During tonight’s session, I worked up to 300lbs and my back felt very stable. I could have easily lifted more weight but decided there’s no reason to rush it.

Maybe the weakness/unstable feeling in my back was just my body being uncomfortable with a new movement? Regardless of the cause, I plan to stick with lower weights for a few more weeks before increasing the intensity. Thanks to everyone for the advice.

DopeItUp

I think your theory is correct. Practice and expertise of the deadlift technique as well as finding the optimal setup for yourself is key to deadlift progression and safety in my opinion. It's a heavy posterior chain exercise (which includes the lower back) so "feeling" it in the back is normal and expected, IMO. Especially the conventional deadlift.

GW4321

DopeItUp wrote: »

I think your theory is correct. Practice and expertise of the deadlift technique as well as finding the optimal setup for yourself is key to deadlift progression and safety in my opinion. It's a heavy posterior chain exercise (which includes the lower back) so "feeling" it in the back is normal and expected, IMO. Especially the conventional deadlift.

Thanks for responding. The extra practice at lower weights really helped me get more comfortable with technique. Everything seemed to click during my last session.

Okiludy

I used to deadlift much more frequently than lately. Now I only do deadlifts once like every other week. I got to a point where I was stalling and changed programming. It uses a Heavy/Light/Medium setup where you do more SDLs and rack pulls then actually deadlifts. When I did this my deadlift went up like 20lbs(505-525) in about a 5weeks. Does anyone know why less specific training would do this? The only thing I can come up with is I was deadlifting too frequently before and the lower frequency of new program gave me time to realize gains I had made.

Chieflrg

Okiludy wrote: »

I used to deadlift much more frequently than lately. Now I only do deadlifts once like every other week. I got to a point where I was stalling and changed programming. It uses a Heavy/Light/Medium setup where you do more SDLs and rack pulls then actually deadlifts. When I did this my deadlift went up like 20lbs(505-525) in about a 5weeks. Does anyone know why less specific training would do this? The only thing I can come up with is I was deadlifting too frequently before and the lower frequency of new program gave me time to realize gains I had made.

Not know your previous deadlift programming my guess it more than likely has to be lower fatigue, and not necessarily a spurt of true strength gained.

Stalling almost always is lack of volume. I would hazard like you suspected your frequency didn't allow for enough recovery.

HLM can work and bring progress, but all in all its sub optimal. I'm sure it allows you to get better recovery at lower intensity with decent stress with the lesser specific lifts.

How did you adjust volume before switching? Your frequency how many sets/reps were you doing before? What RPE or percentages were you working at throughout a cycle? What was your overall feeling while deadlift? How was your squat progressing?